Plant-Based VS Vegan 🥦

It’s not Plant Vs Zombies! It’s Plant-based VS Vegan! So what are the differences one might ask? Vegan diets eliminate all animal products, while plant-based diets do not necessarily eliminate animal products, but focus on eating mostly plants, such as fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds and whole grains. That means with a vegan diet, you cannot eat products such as diary, meat, poultry, fish, eggs and honey. 🍯

Plant-Based Diet

On the other hand, with a plant-based diet, you have the ability to choose whether you want to consume animal products. Of course, the focus is mainly on consuming plant-based products. In addition, a plant-based diet also focuses on eating whole foods. Some examples include fruits and vegetables, whole grains like quinoa, barley and oatmeal, plant-based oils like avocado, olive and canola, as well as nuts and seeds. And here’s a place you may want to get your nuts and seeds from https://bulbs.sg/product/original-granola-large-320g-2/

Vegan

Now, think of it this way. Basically, for a person who practices veganism, the overall intent is that minimal harm is done to animals through life choices. In addition to excluding animal products from their diets, people who label themselves as vegan typically avoid purchasing items that were made from or tested on animals. This often includes clothing, personal care products, shoes, accessories, and household goods.

Difference between Plant-based and Vegan

In that sense, veganism is like a way of living where one seeks not to harm the environment. For one choosing a plant-based diet, it may be due to environmental reasons or for health reasons. So in a way, a plant-based diet allows flexibility as someone may still choose to consume meat. As for vegans, it is more of a lifestyle and stricter as well.

So what are some of the health benefits of a plant-based diet?

Health Benefit #1 🩺

It supports your immune system. Plants have essential nutrients that you cannot get from other foods. The vitamins and minerals, phytochemicals and antioxidants in plants help keep your cells healthy and your body in balance so that your immune system can function at its best. This would reduce your risk for cancer because it can recognize and attack mutations in cells before they can progress to disease.

Health Benefit #2 🩺

Plants are high in fiber. Fiber is present in all unprocessed plant foods. It is what makes up the structure of the plant, and if you eat more of it you access a whole host of benefits. Eating a plant-based diet improves the health of your gut so you are better able to absorb the nutrients from food that support your immune system and reduce inflammation. Fiber can lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar and it’s great for good bowel management.

Health Benefit #3 🩺

Plant foods reduce inflammation. Plants’ essential nutrients work to resolve inflammation in your body. The same tiny phytochemicals and antioxidants that boost your immune system also go around your body neutralizing toxins from pollution, processed food, bacteria, viruses and more. Prolonged inflammation can damage your body’s cells and tissue and has been linked to cancer and other inflammatory diseases like arthritis. A plant-based diet may protect you because it removes some of the triggers to these diseases.

What about a vegan diet?

Health Benefit #1 🩺

Metabolism

Vegans benefit from increased consumption of vegetables but can miss out on essential nutrients due to the avoidance of meat and dairy. Vegan diets are usually high in fiber, magnesium, folic acid, phytochemicals, and vitamins C and E. On the other hand, they tend to be lower in calories, saturated fat, cholesterol, omega 3 fatty acids, calcium, zinc, and vitamins B-12 and D.

Health Benefit #2 🩺

Cardiovascular Health
Diets that are high in fruits and vegetables, nuts, vegetable oils, and whole grain are often associated with lower rates of cardiovascular disease development. This seems to be primarily due to the increased intake of fruits and vegetables, which contain valuable nutrients, including fiber and antioxidant vitamins, and have been independently associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease.

Health Benefit #3 🩺

Cognitive Health
Studies that have focused on this have found mild or moderate improvements when patients afflicted with migraine, multiple sclerosis, fibromyalgia, and rheumatoid arthritis consumed a vegan diet. Studies looking at specific nutrients show some signs that vegan diets can be beneficial for cognition and mental health. Intake of phytochemicals, which appears to be higher in vegans, is associated with beneficial effects on mental health. In contrast, lower intake of vitamin B-12, which is common in vegans, is associated with detrimental effects on the neurologic system and cognitive health, such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Vegans can intake B-12 supplements or eat B-12 fortified food such as soy milk and some cereals to complement the missing vitamin in their diet.

Be it choosing vegan or a plant-based diet, keep in mind that it should be something sensible and sustainable, one in which you can stick with as a lifestyle choice for the rest of your life. At the end of the day, choose something which you think is best for you and you can adopt it for yourself in the long run.